Recognizing Fraud Prevention Month 2018

Ottawa, March 1, 2018—The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, issued the following statement:

The Government of Canada is committed to protecting Canadians and newcomers from falling victim to fraud. I’m pleased to note that this month marks the 14^th anniversary of Fraud Prevention Month, the annual education and awareness campaign, which was launched by the federal government in 2004 to encourage Canadians to recognize and report fraud.

During the month of March, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will undertake a number of activities to help inform the public of how to recognize scams and fraudulent websites, how to properly choose an immigration or citizenship consultant and how to report fraud when it happens. And today, as this important month of awareness kicks off, it’s an opportune time for all of us to keep in mind the many ways we can protect ourselves against immigration and citizenship fraud and scams. For example:

• It’s important to remember that Canada’s immigration system is based on fairness. Applications are processed on a case-by-case basis. No one has special connections and no one can promise your application will be given special treatment or guarantee that it will be approved.
• You are not required to hire a representative to help you with your immigration or citizenship application. However, if you decide to hire a representative, choose carefully and make sure that your representative is authorized.
• Don’t be tempted into using false documents. It is a serious crime to misrepresent yourself by making false statements or submitting false documents when dealing with the Government of Canada and doing so can jeopardize your application or immigration status.

You can get more useful fraud prevention tips, find out where to report scams and learn how to make sure an immigration or citizenship representative is authorized by visiting Canada.ca/immigration-fraud.

Remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Stay safe and be aware!

For further information (media only), please contact:

Hursh Jaswal
Minister’s Office
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
613-954-1064

Media Relations
Communications Branch
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca